Artist: A.C. NewmanAlbum: Get Guilty
Year: 2009
Grade: 4 pretzels
The New Pornographers have always been an unusual supergroup (they are Canadians, after all). Instead of being driven by the artists’ individual fame, all of the band’s members became much more prominent after the New Pornos started recording albums. Sure, Neko Case is a significant star on her own; Dan Bejar has a handful of devoted fans with his primary band, Destroyer. But both of them definitely saw their fanbases expand after working in the New Pornos. However, the driving force, the head pornographer if you will, is Allan Carl Newman, someone virtually nobody had heard of before the New Pornos broke into the public consciousness. Newman writes nearly 90% of the band’s tunes and sings most of them too. He’s the undisputed frontman. It’s about time we learned who exactly Mr. Newman was outside of the New Pornographers.
Get Guilty isn’t actually Newman’s first solo album, as it follows 2004’s The Slow Wonder. However, coming on the tails of 2007’s disappointing New Pornos album, Challengers, it represents a huge chance for Newman to establish himself as a solo artist in his own right. It helps that almost everything here is better than anything on Challengers. Instead of the usual power-pop drop kick the New Pornos are famous for, Newman aims for a slightly more subdued (but no less driving) sound. Many of the songs sound wistful and nostalgic, particularly the standout “Thunderbolts”, which features low-end piano chords and even a little flute riff. The more upbeat songs, particularly “Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer”, sound like songs that could of (and perhaps should have) made a New Porno album. It’s interesting that Newman sat on some of these strong tracks for his own album, instead of handing them over to his more famous band.
For fans of the New Pornographers, Get Guilty should sound familiar. It doesn’t represent some huge shift in Newman’s songwriting or sound. Instead, it shows just how tightly Newman seems to be holding the reins in the New Pornos. Take him away from the band and he sounds essentially the same. Take Case or Bejar away from the band and they do all kinds of weird and different things. It’s impossible to know if this very strong solo effort from Newman is a sign of disagreements or ill-feelings in the New Pornos camp. Nonetheless, it’s a very good album that should finally win some recognition for Newman, a supremely capable songwriter who more than deserves the praise.
Get Guilty isn’t actually Newman’s first solo album, as it follows 2004’s The Slow Wonder. However, coming on the tails of 2007’s disappointing New Pornos album, Challengers, it represents a huge chance for Newman to establish himself as a solo artist in his own right. It helps that almost everything here is better than anything on Challengers. Instead of the usual power-pop drop kick the New Pornos are famous for, Newman aims for a slightly more subdued (but no less driving) sound. Many of the songs sound wistful and nostalgic, particularly the standout “Thunderbolts”, which features low-end piano chords and even a little flute riff. The more upbeat songs, particularly “Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer”, sound like songs that could of (and perhaps should have) made a New Porno album. It’s interesting that Newman sat on some of these strong tracks for his own album, instead of handing them over to his more famous band.
For fans of the New Pornographers, Get Guilty should sound familiar. It doesn’t represent some huge shift in Newman’s songwriting or sound. Instead, it shows just how tightly Newman seems to be holding the reins in the New Pornos. Take him away from the band and he sounds essentially the same. Take Case or Bejar away from the band and they do all kinds of weird and different things. It’s impossible to know if this very strong solo effort from Newman is a sign of disagreements or ill-feelings in the New Pornos camp. Nonetheless, it’s a very good album that should finally win some recognition for Newman, a supremely capable songwriter who more than deserves the praise.
No comments:
Post a Comment